Efnisyfirlit

• Cover Page
• Half Title page
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Preface
• Preface to second edition
• Introduction
• Overview
• The nature of metaphysics – some historical reflections
• Metaphysics as category theory
• Notes
• Further reading
• The problem of universals I Metaphysical realism
• Overview
• Realism and nominalism
• The ontology of metaphysical realism
• Realism and predication
• Realism and abstract reference
• Restrictions on realism – exemplification
• Further restrictions – defined and undefined predicates
• Are there any unexemplified attributes?
• Notes
• Further reading
• The problem of universals II Nominalism
• Overview
• The motivation for nominalism
• Austere nominalism
• Metalinguistic nominalism
• Trope theory
• Notes
• Further reading
• Concrete particulars I Substrata, bundles, and substances
• Overview
• Substratum and bundle theories
• An objection to the bundle theory – subject-predicate discourse
• Another objection to the bundle theory – the Identity of Indiscernibles
• An argument for the substratum theory
• Problems for the substratum theory
• Aristotelian substances
• Notes
• Further reading
• Propositions and their neighbors
• Overview
• The traditional theory of propositions
• Nominalism about propositions
• Facts, states of affairs, and events
• Notes
• Further reading
• The necessary and the possible
• Overview
• Problems about modality
• Possible worlds
• Possible worlds nominalism
• The metaphysics of possible worlds nominalism – David Lewis
• Actualism and possible worlds – Alvin Plantinga
• Notes
• Further reading
• Concrete particulars II Persistence through time
• Overview
• Two theories of persistence – endurantism and perdurantism
• Two theories of time – presentism and eternalism
• The ontology of perdurantism
• An argument for perdurantism – change in properties
• A second argument for perdurantism – change in parts
• Notes
• Further reading
• The challenge of anti-Realism
• Overview
• Two views about the nature of reality
• Dummett’s anti-Realist
• The inscrutability of reference
• Putnam’s anti-Realism
• Realism or anti-Realism?
• Notes
• Further reading
• Bibliography
• Index